Brad, the county treasurer, told the council the Trex program is a tax-refund exchange and compliance system administered by the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) and the state treasurer’s Trust Indiana program. He said the system lets counties refer debts — including property tax delinquencies and court costs — for intercept from state tax refunds and pass a small administrative cost to the debtor. Brad said participation requires county registration and debtor notification, and recommended commissioners sign a memorandum of understanding and enact participation in November or December so the county could begin on January 3, consistent with AIC timelines.

Why it matters: Trex creates a new collection channel that can recover money without direct county collection staff costs, but counties cannot predict recoveries without historical debt data. Brad said the county’s property-tax delinquencies historically produce about $8 million in at-risk property tax value per year and that even recovering 5–10% would be meaningful; he also said he will ask AIC for sample collection figures from other counties.

Officials pressed for details and next steps. Brad said there is no cost to register, but participation requires following statutorily set timelines and notifying debtors, and that AIC/Trust Indiana handle the state refund intercept and remittance to the county’s Trust Indiana account. He identified a 2017 Indiana Code authorization and a 2017 letter from AIC executive director David Bodorf describing the process. Council members asked whether notification is by certified mail; Brad said yes and noted the current fee passed to the debtor is about $8.

The courts and collections connection: county staff and council members discussed that court-ordered costs and fines are a significant unpaid balance locally and that Trex could be one tool to pursue those balances, although courts and clerks retain collection authority and practices vary. The treasurer said he will provide the council and commissioners with AIC examples and data on other counties’ recoveries to set expectations.

Next steps and status: Brad said he will contact AIC (including suggested contact Ryan Hoff) for sample performance data and circulate that material to commissioners and councilors. He recommended the commissioners sign the required memorandum of agreement and schedule formal adoption later in the calendar before the recommended January start date. No formal motion or vote was recorded at the meeting.